Vaughan: Cook can be a great

Wednesday 17 August 2011 06:46 BST

Michael Vaughan

Former captain Michael Vaughan believes England opener Alastair Cook is destined for a place among the game's greats.

Cook rediscovered his best form with a career-best 294 in England's third Test win over India at Edgbaston last week. It was the 26-year-old's 19th Test hundred and leaves him only three tons behind England's record Test centurions Geoff Boycott, Colin Cowdrey and Wally Hammond.

Cook is also 13th on the country's all-time run list with 5,834, and Vaughan, speaking at the launch of the Laureus 'Urban Stars' project, said: "I don't want to put him under too much pressure but he is going to get over 10,000 Test runs with over 35 Test match hundreds."

He added: "He will probably be captain when Andrew Strauss relinquishes it in a few years' time and he has got a tremendous career ahead.

"He is the type of player you want, very determined, he grinds out every run. At times it is not pretty but, look at the end result, he is a run-scorer."

England's innings victory in Birmingham, their third of an emphatic nature in the series, lifted England to the top of the International Cricket Council's world rankings.

It is a position long coveted by Strauss and his team and Vaughan, skipper of the 2005 Ashes-winning team, now wants them to go on and establish a stranglehold on top spot.

The 36-year-old, who played his last Test in 2008, said: "Number one in the world is something we should all celebrate but the main thing now is to stay there. I really think this team now has got a great opportunity to go on and dominate Test cricket for a number of years.

"I just see the depth in this squad and I know how professional they all are.

"We also want to see them become the world number one team in one-day cricket too. That is the next challenge. We haven't won a World Cup yet and I think that will be (coach) Andy Flower's next goal."